1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for supporting a shift lever used to control a floor remote control type transmission.
2. Description of the Prior Art
A typical conventional shift lever supporting apparatus of the type described above has heretofore been arranged as shown in FIGS. 14 to 16. Referring to these figures, the reference numeral 50 denotes a shift lever, 51 a cup-shaped holder member for supporting a ball portion 50a of the shift lever 50, 52 a retainer, and 53 a plate serving as a mounting member which is secured to the body of a vehicle. These members are formed as separate members from metallic materials. The holder member 51 is rigidly secured to the retainer 52 by means of a bolt 54, and the retainer 52 and the plate 53 are welded together in one unit. Inside the holder member 52 are accommodated a pair of upper and lower seats 55 for rotatably supporting the ball portion 50a of the shift lever 50, together with a cushion 56 and a shim 57 (see FIG. 15).
A bearing 58 for retaining a select bell-crank 60 is rigidly secured to the upper surface of the retainer 51 by means of bolts 59. The select bell-crank 60 is formed in the shape of an L from a metallic material. The select bell-crank 60 has an insertion bore 60a provided in its proximal portion so that the bell-crank 60 is carried on the bearing 58 through the insertion bore 60a. In one end portion of the select bell-crank 60 is provided an insertion bore 60b through which the bell-crank 60 is linked with a select lever 50b extending sideward from the ball portion 50a of the shift lever 50. In the other end portion of the select bell-crank 60 is provided a mounting bore (not shown) for a select cable securing pin 61. The select bell-crank 60, together with a spring 62, is fitted on the bearing 58 and, at this time, the select lever 50b is inserted into the insertion bore 60b. Thus, the select bell-crank 60 is linked with the shift lever 50 such that the former is movable in response to the movement of the latter. It should be noted that the spring 62 is engaged at one end thereof with a stopper 63 which is fastened to the retainer 52 by means of a bolt, thus constantly biasing the shift lever 50 so as to be positioned in a neutral position.
In the above-described supporting structure, a shift cable (not shown) and a select cable (not shown) which are introduced through respective cable insertion bores 53a provided in the plate 53 are respectively connected to the lower end portion of the shift lever 50 which extends downward from the ball portion 50a and to the securing pin 61 mounted on the select bell-crank 60. Thus, as the shift lever 50 is moved, the select bell-crank 60 moves in response to the movement of the shift lever 50, thereby enabling the transmission to be controlled through each of the cables.
However, the above-described conventional transmission shift lever supporting apparatus has the following disadvantages. In assembly, the prior art apparatus needs a large number of steps, for example, the step of welding the retainer 52 and the plate 53 together in one unit, the step of surrounding the ball portion 50a of the shift lever 50 with the upper and lower seats 55 and securing the resulting assembly with the holder member 51, fastening the bearing 58 for the select bell-crank 60 to the retainer 52 by means of bolts, and the step of fastening the stopper 63 for the spring 62 to the retainer 52 by means of a bolt. Therefore, the prior art suffers from low productivity and difficulty in ensuring the required assembling accuracy. In particular, to mount the shift lever 50, it is necessary to first assemble together the ball portion 50a of the shift lever 50, the seats 55, the cushion 56 and the shim 57 inside the holder member 51 in such a manner that the ball portion 50a is surrounded with the other members, and then secure this assembly to the retainer 52 by means of the bolt 54. Thus, the assembling operation is considerably troublesome.
It should be noted that Japanese Utility Model Public Disclosure No. 60-05829 (1985) discloses a wire type speed change control apparatus for a transmission having a different type of shift lever. In this case also, a member which corresponds to the retainer and a shift lever plate are formed as separate members and these are connected together in one unit by welding or other similar means.
Japanese Utility Model Public Disclosure Nos. 61-203834 (1986) and 61-203835 (1986) also disclose supporting structures of the type in which a ball portion of a shift lever is supported by a cup-shaped holder member.